“Am I Ready?” - The Everything Guide for First-Time Horse Owners

10/30/2024  −   11/13/2024

Open: 10/15/2024

Close:

Late entries allowed until 11/12/2024

Wheatland Farm

15158 Berlin tpk

Purcellville, VA, 20132

ATTEND/AUDIT

📚🐴Looking to buy your own horse but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you have a horse and are looking to keep it at home? 🤔

Join us at Wheatland Farm for our 3-part-series “Am I ready?”

Unmounted sessions starting at 7:00pm. October 30th, November 6th, November 13th! One hour sessions followed by a Q&A with wine and cheese 🍷🧀

We will discuss everything from budgeting, infrastructure requirements, daily maintenance, and even what ‘red flags’ 🚩may arise along the way! This is surely a series you will not want to miss! Projected expense spread sheets and price lists provided!

Week #1 - Before The Search Begins

Week #2 - Finding the One

Week #3 - Bringing Them Home

Where:

Wheatland Farm
15158 Berlin Tpk
Purcellville, VA 20132

When:

Thursday, October 30th @ 7:00pm
Thursday, November 6th @ 7:00pm
Wednesday, November 30th @ 7:00pm

$40/ session or $100 for all three

For those only planning on one session, please specify in the notes which session you would like to attend!

Wine and cheese to be provided!

Topics covered:

Horse Ownership Classes

Week 1:

Before Starting the Search
- Establish realistic riding goals with instructor (both short and long term)
- What equipment do you need to care for a horse? (Blankets, halter, feed containers, etc)
- What tack do you need?
- What infrastructure do you need? (Shed row barn/run in shed, fencing, grooming area, manure management, tack room)
- Other necessities: blankets, water troughs, feed buckets, feed storage, hay storage, etc.
- Sourcing proper hay, farrier, and vet
- How often does a horse need the vet, farrier, and other services
- Budgeting for the above
- Where to ride when at home
- Discuss routine for feeding horse am/pm, getting horse ready for ride and cooling out after ride
- Caring for horse in winter and summer

Week 2:

Finding the Right Partner
- breed, size, price, age, etc.
- What’s your budget and what can you expect to find in that range?
- What we offer in finding the right horse
- Why have an ‘agent’ help find your horse?
- What are red flags when looking at a horse?
- What are not red flags when looking at a horse?
- How much should you spend on a pre-purchase vetting? Should you do a vetting at all?
- What are the steps from finding a horse to riding it at home (trial(s), PPE, money transfer, Transition, etc)
- What are important questions to ask the seller or trainer?
- What role does the ‘agent’ play in all of this?
- How does commission work?

Week 3:
Bringing the horse home:

- What to check for at your home before the horse arrives (fences, water source, etc)
- How to move your new horse from its home farm to the new home
- What to expect when it steps off the trailer
- When can I ride it? What steps should be taken ahead of time?
- Basic First Aid
- Emergencies (what to look for, who to call, where to go )